Opinion: Can The Svartpilen 401 Turn Husqvarna Into A Household Name In India?

Brand equity is what Husqvarna seems to be lacking to make it as successful as KTM, with both brands sharing the same motorcycle platforms, and manufactured by Bajaj Auto. But as any marketing student will tell you, brand equity is difficult to measure let alone develop with a limited strategy. And there are other pieces to the puzzle as well, like creating brand awareness, brand identity, brand knowledge and eventually brand loyalty. Why then has Husqvarna not been able to become as successful as its sister brand KTM in India?

The new Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 is based on the latest-generation KTM 390 Duke.

The Swedish brand has been in India for just over four years now. The KTM-owned motorcycle brand initially introduced the KTM 250 Duke-based Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 in India in 2019, manufactured by Bajaj Auto at its Chakan plant. Sister brand KTM certainly got a headstart with the launch of the first KTM 200 Duke in 2012. And from then on, KTM has been on a roll in India, and has established itself as a brand associated with sporty, performance-oriented motorcycles. 

Svartpilen 401 - KTM 390 Duke In Different Flavour

The Svartpilen 401 is more of a street-biased neo-retro scrambler, than the sportier KTM 390 Duke.

Even though both brands initially shared the same 250 cc engine platforms, Husqvarna has not been able to become as popular as KTM in its four-year-old presence in India. Now, with the new Husqvarna Svartpilen 401, based on the latest-generation KTM 390 Duke, will things change for the better?

Also Read: Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 Review

On the face of it, the Svartpilen 401 seems to have everything going for it. Entertaining performance, great dynamics and slightly revised proportions and ergonomics to make it more palatable for the Indian market. The Husqvarna 250s, which were more compact in size, and the Vitpilen 250 being a little too aggressive in terms of ergonomics. And these two areas seem to have been addressed with the new Husqvarna Svartpilen 401, the brand’s now flagship model in India. 

“The biggest problem with the Husqvarna 250s was that they were too tiny, they were too compact. And our market is obsessed with big motorcycles. The new Svartpilen 401 has the best chance of turning things around. Again, the problem is that it comes with spoked wheels with tube-type tyres. Otherwise, I think most people will absolutely love it. It looks great, it’s more comfortable, it doesn’t have that typical ‘KTM’ tag, or personality, if you will. If the company can fix the wheels, and offer tubeless tyres, then Husqvarna as a brand has great potential in India,” says motorcycle content creator and car&bike awards two-wheeler jury member Sagar Sheldekar.

Also Read: 2024 KTM 390 Duke Review

The Svartpilen 401 is an impressive product with its performance and dynamics.

And it’s not just performance or dynamics that is lacking in any way. With the new Husqvarna Svartpilen 401, which is essentially the latest generation KTM 390 Duke in a slightly different flavour, brand Husqvarna has a lot going for it. The new Svartpilen 401 has the presence, the performance and the punch to make it quite an impressive product, from all quarters. And the fact that it’s got a Rs. 19,000 price advantage over the KTM 390 Duke makes it seem like a more practical, ‘different’ and logical choice for riders, who would want everyday rideability with some ‘soft-roading’ ability rather than head to the racetrack on the weekend.

A Question Of Design 

The Husqvarna models have a rather quirky appearance and design, something which may not be universally appealing.

From an Indian market perspective, the problem with the Husqvarna brand seems to be not so much about the product quality, its performance or product positioning, but the rather unconventional design. Then there’s the brand itself, which doesn’t seem to have as much recall. The fact that Husqvarna has a name which most Indians still find it hard to pronounce perhaps makes it even more difficult to make it popularly acceptable. This is something which KTM and even Triumph have been able to achieve, with relative ease, and over a shorter timeframe. And considering Husqvarna is manufactured in India, partly owned, and backed by a powerhouse like Bajaj Auto, it’s rather surprising that it has not been able to find more acceptability. 

“Husqvarna in India rings a bell as a niche motorcycle brand that harks of the phrase - an idea before its time had come! Perhaps styled a shade too future ready for our market, Husqvarna in India may at times find itself pushed into a corner it would like to break free from,” says veteran motorcycle journalist and industry expert Rishad Cooper, part of the car&bike awards two-wheeler jury.

“But once you get astride any of these made-in-India, by Bajaj bikes, you immediately learn Husqvarnas offer top class performance, across most parameters, at good value-for-money. It's just that few want to be seen on a motorcycle that’s so radical and so different looking, and overcoming this hurdle is perhaps all the European brand really needs to find a bit firmer footing,” adds Cooper.

Building The Brand

The Svartpilen 401 certainly has the qualities to make for a popular motorcycle. 

So, what could make Husqvarna more acceptable? Brand awareness and brand meaning, which includes developing strong associations in the mind of consumers either from personal customers’ experiences or from conversations around the brand, certainly is a tried and tested method. From a product point of view, the new Svartpilen 401 seems to have it all to make Husqvarna a popular choice. But fixing a puncture on a tube-type tyre is something the Indian customer will be concerned about, when tubeless tyres offer more peace of mind. From a brand judgement point of view, the type of wheels and tyres used is one aspect which will likely affect customers’ mindset about the new Svartpilen 401, but the slight price advantage and different positioning of the product will also work in its favour. 

The 399 cc single-cylinder engine is shared with the KTM 390 Duke and makes 46 bhp at 8,500 rpm and 39 Nm at 6,500 rpm. 

As a brand, Husqvarna was founded in the 17^th century, but only started making motorcycles in the early 20^th century. In the 1930s, Husqvarna had considerable success in Grand Prix racing and subsequently made a name for itself in motocross racing in the 1950s and ‘60s. By the late 1980s however, the brand changed ownership multiple times, first acquired by Cagiva, then MV Agusta, followed by a breakaway brand called Husaberg Motor and then finally being acquired by BMW Motorrad in the 2000s. It was only in 2013 that KTM’s parent company Pierer Industrie acquired Husqvarna. In recent years, Husqvarna has introduced a range of enduro motorcycles, including as well as middleweight adventure models like the Norden 901, also based on a KTM platform. As a brand though, Husqvarna is yet to establish a firm foothold, not just in India, but even globally.

It’s early days yet to pass judgement on Husqvarna, but offering cast wheels, even as an option, with tubeless tyres, and at the same price point will certainly make the Svartpilen 401 more attractive as a product. More community participation around the brand, focussed on developing a brand personality and brand culture are some aspects which are needed to make Husqvarna more widely acceptable. The Svartpilen 401 certainly is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done around brand Husqvarna to make it more popular, if not as widely recognised and acceptable as KTM.